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PREVIEW: DALE EARNHARDT JR.
(NO. 88 AMP ENERGY/NATIONAL GUARD CHEVROLET)
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VENUE: INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY (2.5-MILE OVAL)
CIRCUIT: NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES (RACE 20 OF 36)
DATE: JULY 27, 2008 (160 LAPS, 400 MILES)
*****
AT INDIANAPOLIS: In eight NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Dale Earnhardt Jr. has recorded two top-10 finishes and led 46 laps. Earnhardt, driver of the No. 88 National Guard/AMP Energy Chevrolet, scored his best start at the 2.5-mile oval last year when he lined up fourth. He recorded his best Indy finish when he took sixth in 2006.
AT SPEEDWAYS: Earnhardt has enjoyed success at speedways that are two miles or longer. In 91 events, he has scored eight wins -- five at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway, two at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway and one at Michigan International Speedway, which he earned June 15. He also has tallied three pole positions, 24 top-five finishes and 39 top-10s. This year, he has led 123 laps at tracks more than two miles in length.
FOLLOW THE LEADER: In 2008, Earnhardt has led at least one lap in 12 of the 19 Sprint Cup Series events for a total of 621 laps. His previous best through 19 races was recorded in 2004 when he led 588 laps. The 621 laps also are more than he led in the full 2000 (426 laps), 2005 (169 laps), 2006 (444 laps) and 2007 (433 laps) Cup seasons.
HIGH POINTS: In 19 starts this season, Earnhardt, who assumed second place in the driver standings following the July 5 Daytona event, has recorded one win, seven top-five finishes and 12 top-10s. Earnhardt had not ranked second in Sprint Cup points since the 2005 season, when he was tied with Kurt Busch after finishing third in the Feb. 20, 2005 Daytona 500.
INDY CHASSIS: Crew chief Tony Eury Jr. and the No. 88 National Guard/AMP Energy Chevrolet engineers have chosen Chassis No. 88-499 for Indianapolis. This is the same chassis Earnhardt drove to lead 76 laps en route to a sixth-place finish in the 600-mile event at Lowe's Motor Speedway in May.
HENDRICK AT INDY: In 14 races at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Hendrick Motorsports has posted five wins, 13 top-five finishes and 21 top-10s. The drivers have led 537 laps and recorded three pole positions.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Rick Pigeon, jackman for the No. 88 National Guard/AMP Energy Chevy, will celebrate his 33rd birthday on Saturday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Pigeon hails from Fairfax, Vt., and has worked at Hendrick Motorsports since the 2001 season.
TIRE TESTED: In April, the No. 88 team took part in a two-day Goodyear tire test at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The crew collected data during the test that it shared with its Hendrick Motorsports teammates.
BRICK KISSERS: Engineer Darian Grubb and tire specialist Gene Pasquale, both current members of the No. 88 team, previously have won at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Grubb, a native of Floyd, Va., was a part of the No. 48 crew that won the 2006 Brickyard 400, while Pasquale, who hails from Rochester, N.Y., was on the No. 29 team that won in 2003.
LIMITED-EDITION AMP CANS: AMP Energy is introducing its "Dale Jr. Limited Edition Series" cans this summer. There are four cans to collect. One will pay tribute to his five wins at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway, while the other three will feature his No. 88 Chevrolet Impala SS, the stripes from his adidas firesuit and the JR Nation logo. For more information, visit www.ampenergy.com/limitededitionseries.
ARE YOU OLD SCHOOL, NEW?: The Old School, New School promotion, which runs through Aug. 11, gives consumers the chance to win "Cars, Kicks and More" and then choose their old school or new school prize, like a 2009 Corvette or a vintage one. To enter, fans must enter the code found on the bottom of their AMP Energy, Mountain Dew or Sobe drink purchase. Consumers can learn more about the challenge by visiting www.oldschoolornew.com.
AMP YOURSELF ON FACEBOOK: AMP Energy has posted a link on www.facebook.com where members of the JR Nation can get together in a social network and post photos of themselves getting AMP'd. By logging on to www.facebook.com/AMPEnergy, Dale Jr. fans can post photos and connect with other Earnhardt fans.
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DALE EARNHARDT JR., DRIVER OF THE NO. 88 NATIONAL GUARD/AMP ENERGY IMPALA SS (ON INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY.): "Indy is real, real similar to Pocono. The Brickyard is a special race. A bunch of famous drivers have won there, and there's a ton of history. I'm big into the history of this sport. The track was one of the first to gain international recognition for its races. We tire tested there so it was good to get some extra laps. Winning would be cool because there is so much prestige. It (winning) would be special for the team and for me. It's a top-five track as far as places I want to win at over the course of my career."
TONY EURY JR., CREW CHIEF OF THE NO. 88 NATIONAL GUARD/AMP ENERGY IMPALA SS: (ON INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY.): "The track at Indy is very coarse. A lot of guys are going to have a lot of trouble. We usually wear out tires 15 laps into a run when we first get there, and as the weekend goes the grooves fill up, and rubber really starts taking to the track. Tire wear will get better as the weekend goes, but it's pretty much just four square corners. You have little straightways between each corner. It's more like a rhythm track. It takes a complete package. You've got to really have a low-drag car because the straightaways definitely are real long, and it can mean big benefits if you can get off the corner."
EURY (ON THE TIRE TEST.): "It was probably the way to get the car down. The attitude and everything was the biggest thing we learned at the tire test. The tires were wearing out after maybe 15 laps so you really didn't get a long run. But we felt like we were one of the better cars there. Anytime you can get on the track at Indy and you can get your aero-attitude kind of baselined out, it's going to be a huge advantage for us.
"Indy, as big of a race as it is and as unique as that track is, it was very special for us (to get the test). We really jumped at the chance to be able to go there. That time is very valuable because the laps are so long. It takes right at 54 seconds to get around there so if you're doing a happy hour you may get three to four runs, and that's it. We actually had two days, and that will mean a lot."
EURY (ON SHARING INFORMATION FROM THE TEST.): "We definitely got some files and stuff to share with our teammates. That test taught us a lot, and we've learned a lot since, so we've really got to buckle down. In all honesty, the car was really good, and Dale Jr. was happy with it when we were there."
EURY (ON THE NEW CAR AT INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY.): "It could possibly be its worst race just because of aero. That track is very aero-sensitive to the cars. You're going to see what you did at Pocono. You're going to see a lot of two-tire stops. You're going to see a lot of things happening just to keep your track position. It's not a favorable place to pass, and track position will be everything. I think the race will be won off pit road."
EURY (ON WHAT IT WOULD MEAN TO WIN AT INDY.): "It would be a very huge thing to win at Indy. There's so much history there. Drivers like A.J. Foyt and Mario Andretti have won races at the track, so it kind of puts you in the middle of the Motorsports Hall of Fame. It's real unique to go over there and walk around that museum and go down in the basement and see how far technology has come on the Indy side of it -- not just the stock car side of it. Just to see the way racing has come over the years from what they used to race is pretty amazing."
*****
Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s Official Site - www.dalejr.com
Thanks to Amy Walsh for the race reports and recaps.
Courtesy of Hendrick Motorsports.
Media Relations | No. 88 AMP Energy / National Guard Racing
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